Revision of a local school wellness policy: moving from a template-based to a locally developed policy

Abstract:

Wellness policies can help schools prevent childhood obesity and promote health. Having coordinated the revision of a wellness policy at a local school district, the researcher observed the transition from a template-based to a locally developed policy. In this thesis, stakeholder participation, successes, and challenges of the revision process were analyzed; the quality of the policies were quantitatively compared using standardized tools WellSAT-96 and WellSAT; and an assessment plan was developed for the district. Challenges included disagreement among stakeholders and limiting policy focus, while successes included increased awareness and creation of an ongoing committee. Quantitative analysis of the policies revealed that the revised policy is of higher quality than the original in terms of language strength and comprehensiveness of goals. The assessment plan includes an annual survey of school principals, measurement of indicators, a list of wellness activities, and a report comparing the model policy to the revised policy. Recommendations were made regarding future policy revision. The intent of this work was to provide support to a local district implementing its wellness policy, as well as to provide a useful resource to other districts undergoing policy revision.

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